Indian protesters demand justice for vet’s murder, suspected rape

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SHADNAGAR, India (Reuters) – Thousands of protesters gathered outside a police station on the outskirts of the Indian city of Hyderabad on Saturday demanding four men accused of raping and murdering a 27-year-old woman be handed over to them.

Some protesters clashed with police, hurling slippers, after the charred body of the woman, a veterinarian, was found in the town of Shadnagar, near Hyderabad, on Thursday.

Police said medical evidence would be hard to obtain given the state of the body but that they were working on the assumption the victim had been raped.

The four accused were remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, police said.

The victim’s mother demanded that the culprits be burnt alive, the Times of India newspaper quoted her as saying.

The incident is reminiscent of the fatal gang rape of a young woman, labeled Nirbhaya (Fearless) by Indian media, on board a bus in 2012. The crime sparked widespread protests and drew international attention to violence against women in India.

The current case has also provoked outrage on social media with #HangRapists trending on Twitter in India.